*** Warning: this post might contain cultural bias material ;) ***
As most of my friends and colleagues, I had the pleasure of working with Americans for most of my professional life and this post is only the tip-of-the-iceberg trying to capture one tiny angle of the American-Israeli cultural gap.
We (Israelis) think we know enough about English since we have watched many hours of American TV, studied the language from early age and use it constantly and “fluently” during our adult professional life but we should be aware about our tendency to interpret English phrases literally, which results in amusing/frustrating/interesting/challenging misunderstandings – We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.
Executive summary:
- Israelis consider themselves creative, direct and honest but being perceived as arrogant, stubborn, negative, rude and pushy (did I forget any other negative adjective here? ;)
- Americans are professionals, positive, polite and showing respect but being perceived as bureaucrats, artificial and square
Few examples:
| Original (American) Wording | Original Intent | Possible (Israeli) Misinterpretation |
| American: “This is a challenge” | This is a problem! | Israeli: Great!, we are always looking for interesting challenges |
| American: “I would appreciate if you could get this done by Friday” | The deadline is Friday – Make it happen! | Israeli: It is nice-to-have to get it done by Friday, but next week is also an option… |
| American: “You might want to consider…..” | There is a problem here – This need to be changed | Israeli: IMHO, there are other options but yours is also good |
| American: “This is ok but…” | This is bad! | Israeli: This is OK (Thanks! :) |
| American: “I do have my concerns” | There are severe problem here | Israeli: This is OK – Need some more discussions but nothing serious… |
| American: “I’ll make an effort” | Just being polite… No real commitment here, it’s optional whether I’ll try harder than usual | Israeli: You can count on me doing everything possible for this |
| Original (Israeli) Wording | Original Intent | Possible (American) Misinterpretation |
| Israeli: “I don’t agree” | I disagree with your point of view and want to discuss it some more so that we can reach agreement on the best approach (this is almost the default :) | American: (Rude) There’s no room for discussion |
| Israeli: “Your presentation was OK” | Your presentation was really good | American: I didn’t like your presentation. |
| Israeli: “Why don’t you do it another way?” | I’m giving you a helpful suggestion because I’m interested in improving the result. | American: (Rude) I am insulting your work |
| Israeli: “I am OK” (direct answer to “How are you?”) | I feel great – if I wasn’t, be sure you will be the first to know | American: Nothing is OK |
| Israeli: “This will not work!” | I need you to explain the way it suppose to work since it seems like I am really missing something here | American: (Rude) I am insulting your work again… |
| Israeli: “I think” (pronounced as sink :) | I think… | American: Ha??? |
German Coastguard | “What are you s(th)inking about?”
Do you have more examples to share?
Relevant books:
- Border Crossings: American Interactions With Israelis
- Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle
Very cool link:
- An American Phrase Book @ http://web.media.mit.edu/~guy/american/
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Random Quote: “Don’t get overconfident. Tiny minds also think alike” (Pasha Bitz, May 2010)
6 responses so far ↓
1
Ken
// Sep 30, 2010 at 7:19 pm
I sink this post was OK
:)
2
Boris
// Oct 1, 2010 at 7:57 am
Cool post, while ago Jewish Agency published an article how to work with Israelis. Suggest to have a look: http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Aliyah/Employment+Resources/Adjusting+to+Israels+culture+of+work.htm
BB
3
Daniella
// Oct 4, 2010 at 12:31 pm
funny:) and true :)
so what should we say instead of each phrase in correct american?
please add (politely intended, optional request!) the “correct way” column :)
4
Guy
// Oct 5, 2010 at 12:42 pm
The question is, even if both sides read and learn this by heart, is there any chance they’ll both absorb, assimilate and internalize it to a point where they can understand each other in real-time?
5
Moti Karmona | מוטי קרמונה
// Oct 5, 2010 at 11:18 pm
@Ken, @Boris – Sanks!
@Daniella,Good Idea! but I am not sure what to put there… :(
@Guy, do you want the optimistic answer or the pragmatic one? ;)
6
Moran
// Oct 30, 2010 at 10:59 pm
It took me so long to understand that:
I am sorry == tough luck, now deal with it ….
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